Markey to skip St. Patrick's Day parade if OUTVETS excluded

Thursday

Mar 9, 2017 at 4:37 PMMar 9, 2017 at 5:46 PM

Aaron Leibowitz aleibowitz@wickedlocal.com @AaronInMalden

Senator Ed Markey of Malden said in a statement Wednesday that he would not participate in the St. Patrick's Day parade in South Boston on March 19 if the parade organizers do not reverse a decision to exclude OUTVETS, an organization that honors LGBTQ veterans, from the festivities.

Markey, a graduate of Malden Catholic High School whose grandparents emigrated to Malden from Ireland, said that while he is proud of his Irish American heritage, he was disappointed in the decision.

He called it a "stunning and inexplicable reversal" of the organizers' decision to include OUTVETS the previous two years.

If the organizers of the South Boston parade do not reverse their decision to exclude OUTVETS, I will not participate in this year’s parade. pic.twitter.com/uFb0YXa0xh

— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) March 8, 2017

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"We all believed we'd moved past a time when the St. Patrick's Day parade was used as an occasion to exclude people, in this case veterans, from our community just because of who they are or who they love," said Markey, a Democratic Congressman since 1976 and a Senator since 2013. "OUTVETS should be able to march this year, and every year moving forward."

On Tuesday, the Allied War Veterans Council of South Boston voted, 9-4, to exclude OUTVETS from the parade, citing the group's display of rainbow flags as a violation of parade rules.

The parade marshal, Army veteran Dan Magoon of Dorchester, resigned after the vote. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, Congressmen Seth Moulton and Joe Kennedy, and parade sponsor Stop & Shop all said they would boycott the event unless the decision were reversed.

On Thursday, the organizers reportedly arranged an emergency meeting for Friday, perhaps to re-vote on the matter. But the group also doubled down on its decision in a statement.

"Outvets was informed that our Code of Conduct prohibits 'the advertisement or display of one's sexual orientation,' and that the 'rainbow' flag on its banners and logo was in violation of this rule," the statement said.

The parade's policy states that any display of one's sexual orientation "deters from the basis of which this Parade has been celebrated historically. This is a celebratory event, with religious, cultural, and historical themes, which pays tribute [to] Saint Patrick and the evacuation of British troops from Dorchester Heights on March 17th 1776."

According to its website, OUTVETS is a "nonpartisan nonpolitical 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to recognizing and honoring the contributions and sacrifices of LGBTQ Veterans, active service members, and their families through social interaction, community service, and public awareness."

The group's homepage features a picture of Markey and Moulton giving a thumbs-up alongside OUTVETS members and their banner at a previous St. Patrick's Day parade in South Boston. Rainbow stripes, universally recognized as a sign of support for LGBTQ people, were clearly visible on the banner and an acccompanying flag.